Salah El-Din Citadel is located in Cairo on a deep slope near Mokattam Mountain. It was built by Salah El-Din Al-Ayyubi in 1176 to be a fortress and a seat of government for nearly 700 years. It was considered as the seat of the rule until Khedive Ismail built Abdeen Palace in 1874. UNESCO considered it one of the heritage sites in Cairo.
Who is Salah El-Din?
Salah El-Din was born in Iraq. He was the founder of the Ayyubid state in Egypt and the leader of the Muslim armies in the war against the Crusaders. These wars ended with the victory of Muslims and the liberation of the city of Jerusalem.
The design of Salah El-Din Citadel:
Salah El-Din built this citadel to protect Cairo from the Crusader attacks. The design of the citadel building was inspired by the shape of the Syrian fortified castles. The construction of the citadel was completed after the death of Salah El-Din, during the period of his brother king El-Kamil in 1182.
The citadel has 4 gates (Mokattam Gate, Iron Gate, Middle Gate, and Castle Gate), 13 towers,
4 palaces as Al-Jawhara Palace, and 4 mosques. These mosques are (Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque, Muhammad Ali Mosque, Suleiman Pasha Mosque, and Al-Azab Mosque). It includes 3 museums as the Police Museum, the Military Museum, and the Royal Carts Museum. In addition, the water well is 90 meters deep.
One of the most important events that took place in this citadel is the massacre of the citadel carried out by Muhammad Ali Pasha to eliminate the Mamluks. It is one of the most brutal massacres in history.
Muhammad Ali Mosque in the citadel:
It is considered one of the most famous landmarks of the citadel. Muhammad Ali began to build it in 1830, and it was completed in 1857 by Said Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was buried in this mosque.
The Muhammad Ali Mosque is known as the Alabaster Mosque because its walls are covered with alabaster. This mosque was built in the Turkish style.
The mosque consists of two parts; the first section is the courtyard and includes the clock tower and a gift from the King of France to Muhammad Ali.
The second section is the prayer house and includes two minbars, one of them of alabaster
and the other of gilded wood.
The mosque is characterized by lead-coated domes and minarets, which were built on the Ottoman style, as they take the shape of a pencil.
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